


All in the Family

by TheOtherOdinson



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 16:45:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11604717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOtherOdinson/pseuds/TheOtherOdinson
Summary: An unexpected visitor may turn out to be a boon for the Collector.





	All in the Family

**Author's Note:**

> A fic written in response to [this AU idea](http://theotherodinson.tumblr.com/post/163273514799/since-you-are-the-high-priest-of-all-things) submitted to me anonymously on Tumblr. Thanks, anon! Hope you see this.

Taneleer Tivan smiled with genuine pleasure as he finished up the daily review of his records.

Things were progressing smoothly on Nowhere. The mining operations and subsequent selling and trading of its products continued to generate enormous units for his use. There was no interference from neighbouring empires as none dared to attempt to encroach upon the region of space he called his own. His collection was growing steadily. Tivan could dare say things were going well for him.

"Master," Carina approached quickly, her head bowed. "You have a visitor."

Tivan frowned. He had summoned no one. Extended an invitation to none. His domain was not open for any who wished to wander in as they pleased. Who would dare?

"Send them away," he told Carina.

Carina was quiet. Tivan spared her a glance. She looked...nervous. "Your visitor insists."

"Do your people lack ears, Carina?"

"No, Master."

"Then send them away. I will see no one today."

"Well, that's not very nice. My feelings are hurt."

Tivan closed his eyes briefly at the new voice. Carina looked pained as the brightly-clad visitor appeared behind her.

"En Dwi. Hello," Tivan said politely. He waved a hand at Carina, dismissing her.

En Dwi Gast watched Carina for a moment as she hurried away before turning back to Tivan. He grinned and spread his arms out wide. "Long time no see, brother! Give us a hug."

"No."

"Rude."

Tivan sighed. "What do you want?"

His brother folded his arms behind his back and favoured him with a smile that was more smirk than anything. "What? I can't just come visit my brother when I happen to be travelling nearby?"

"You never _happen_ to be anywhere," Tivan pointed out.

"True, true," En Dwi admitted. "But this time I really was. Nearby. Only three star systems over. Business to attend to. You understand." His eyes drifted away from Tivan as he took in the collection. "And so here I am." His feet moved in tune with his eyes as he began exploring Tivan's space.

Tivan watched him warily. "What sort of business took you so far from Sakaar?"

En Dwi shrugged without looking back. "Oh, you know. This and that." He shot Tivan a fast smile over his shoulder. "You have your hobby to attend to and I have mine."

Tivan bristled. His _hobby_ was to ensure the universe continued on after its inevitable destruction. His work was serious, unlike his brother's.  He told En Dwi as much.

His brother laughed. "You while away eternity your way, Taneleer. As I will mine." He paused in front of one of the cases. "Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Tivan crossed the floor rapidly to reach his brother's side. It never boded well when anything caught En Dwi's eye. "My collection is off limits, my brother. You know this."

"I'm just looking," En Dwi tossed back. His voice went low and strange. "Yes, just looking."

Tivan's lips pursed when he caught up to En Dwi and saw what captured his notice. "Oh. That one."

 _That one_ was watching the brothers approach his enclosure with a hostile, hunted expression. It was familiar to Tivan. He'd been on the receiving end of it for years.

Granted, not all the beings in his collection took particularly well to being collected in the first place. Eventually though they settled into acceptance and the long wait for the universe to end so they would be free. Tivan expected the one En Dwi was studying with a careful eye would be no different over time.

He was still waiting.

The Aesir who was also somehow Jotun was delivered to Nowhere by a group of Ravagers coming to trade. They'd found the creature alone in the void of space. Alive somehow - barely. Tivan was at once intrigued. There were few such beings able to survive where no life flourished. He identified the creature as a Jotun, though the smallest one he'd ever seen. True, Tivan already had one in his collection, but it didn't hurt to have a second. After all, his first specimen would need a mate at some point.

Tivan paid the Ravagers well and set about installing his new find into an enclosure. He tended to it for days, keeping it healthy and waiting for it to regain its strength. On the fourth day, Tivan was surprised to look in on his new specimen to find not a Jotun, but an Aesir. That gave him pause, for he'd heard tales of Asgard's great watchman - and oh, what a prize that would make for his collection - and Tivan had no desire to bring trouble from Asgard's king down upon Nowhere.

But the dark-haired Aesir slept on and Tivan busied himself shoring up Nowhere's protective shielding. It was overdue anyway. He didn't care to be spied upon by anyone.

On the seventh day the Jotun who was also Aesir awoke. And the creature had been giving Tivan grief ever since.

It screeched at him incessantly for days on end. There were threats. Tears. Cries for aid. Incoherent rages. It threw its food at the walls. Frightened Carina every time she went to clean the glass. Never stopped trying to escape its enclosure. Caused uproar after uproar among the other creatures in Tivan's collection. Even the looks it threw the first Jotun promised violence. Tivan rethought the mating plan at that point.

Tivan had forced it into sleep more times than he cared to admit just to maintain some peace while he worked.

And now it was glaring at En Dwi instead of Tivan. At least that made for a nice change of pace.

"Hello, there sweetheart," En Dwi crooned at the creature. "Aren't you a pretty thing? Yes, you are. Look at you."

The Aesir who was also Jotun snarled at him. En Dwi smiled wider. Tivan swallowed a sigh.

"How long will you be staying, En Dwi?" Tivan asked.

"Oh, not long," he answered vaguely. "You know I don't like to leave my affairs unattended for too long. The games won't run themselves, you know. I really only stopped in to say hello." He reached out a hand to touch the glass.

"Don't touch the glass."

En Dwi pouted. "You're no fun."

One of Tivan's consoles beeped behind him. He spared it a glance but held his ground. Tivan didn't dare turn his back with his brother present, especially now that En Dwi had taken an interest in something of his. Not if he didn't want En Dwi to abscond with his property before he had a chance to blink.

The console beeped again.

"Getting that?" En Dwi asked, still staring at the Jotun that was also Aesir, who was backed as far away from them as it could get, eyeing them both warily with its teeth bared in warning.

"It can wait," Tivan said calmly.

And beeped again.

Tivan clenched his jaw hard enough to cause an eye twitch.

En Dwi pivoted sharply away from the enclosure with a loud laugh and a friendly hand on Tivan's shoulder. He steered them both away from the enclosure and toward the consoles. "Before your head explodes from the not knowing, eh? Tell me, brother mine," En Dwi said casually. "What would you say to a friendly game?"

Tivan reached for his consoles as he neared enough to touch, searching for the cause of the alert. "What do you want?"

En Dwi leaned his hip against one console, folding his arms across and resting his chin along the top of another. "I think you know," he said, voice almost in song.

Tivan read the report that flowed across the screen carefully. He shot a look across to the Aesir that was Jotun. The creature was back to glaring at him alone. "You can't have any part of my collection. Those are the rules. You know this."

"Oh come on," En Dwi wheedled. "What did you pay for him? I'll give you double."

"No."

"I'll play you for him."

"No."

"Taneleer," En Dwi rolled his name out slowly. "Brother. Have often do we see each other? Once, twice every few thousand years? How often do I ask for anything?"

"Every time," Tivan said.

En Dwi's eyebrows shot up as he thought about it. "No. I don't think that's right. Really?"

"Yes," Tivan sighed. "Really." He closed the report, mind already working as he thought about its contents. The angry little creature was still glaring at him. Always trouble that one, the Jotun that was Aesir. Tivan had given it everything. Saved its life. Cared for it. Nursed it back to health. Not to mention planned for it to survive the destruction of the universe and give it new life beyond. And still it was ungrateful. Always trying to run away. It had come close far too many times for his liking.

And now with the news his sentries had sent him?

"But then," Tivan said slowly. "You are my brother. If it pleases you, then yes. I will play a game with you. If I win - you will promise not to show up here unannounced again. If you win - you may have that." Tivan gestured grandly at the creature his brother was still watching greedily from the corner of his eyes.    

The Aesir that was also Jotun's eyes widened in alarm. En Dwi straightened quickly in a colourful flutter of fabric, delight written across his features. "Deal!" He slapped his hands together. "Now, what to play?"

Tivan smiled benevolently as he watched En Dwi pace back and forth across the floor trying to choose the right game. He would play whatever game his brother chose and play it well. But he didn't have to win. Not with news of a ship en route to Nowhere that carried within it two Aesir. Not when the two Aesir brought with them an Infinity Stone.

Tivan cast another look at the Jotun that was also Aesir. The little princeling who insisted he was a king. A magical creature of chaos that was perhaps best kept contained, but Tivan couldn't be sure its countrymen would be in agreement when they arrived here with their precious cargo. It wasn't worth the risk. Tivan wanted the Stone. If losing one piece of his collection was the price to be paid to ensure he got it, then so be it.

Let Loki of Asgard be the Grandmaster's problem from now on.

 

_End._


End file.
